Our 25 top MENA and global ICT stories from Q3 2013

That can feel like a lifetime in the fast-moving digital space, so over the past few weeks we took the opportunity to step back and identify the most interesting digital developments that we spotted over the summer. You can see our selected highlights in the slides below, which are available in both English and Arabic.

Highlights include nuggets from the latest ICT research reports (we’ve read them so you don’t have to), discussions on social media or new international initiatives; such as the launch of Internet.org by Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Middle East Stories we noted this quarter include:

The most popular online activities in the Middle East,

Smartphone behaviors,

Insights into Social Media Usage during Ramadan, and

The latest data on the development of eCommerce in the region

Alongside developments from the MENA region, global content of note include Benedict Evans’ presentation – ‘Mobile is eating the world’ and a UNICEF report into the digital habits of Kenyan youth.

Insights into mobile usage are highly pertinent in Qatar, given the high level of smartphone and tablet penetration in the country. Similarly, UNICEF’s study explores issues such as the importance of cybersafety and how best to communicate it to young people; considerations of interest to policymakers and parents everywhere.